Need for Speed ProStreet Review (Xbox 360)

Electronic Arts has been constantly rewriting the rules of the video-game street racing scene ever since they shocked the world with Need for Speed Underground. Underground was EA’s first foray into the “tuner” style market popularized by the important racing scene and an arguably fast and furious movie, and its timing to the extreme racing party couldn’t have been any better.

The second iteration of Underground hit when the import aftermarket was at its peak. Also helping the sales of Need for Speed Underground 2 was the fact that it was a solid game built upon the successful bits of its predecessor, not to mention it happened to be a car modder’s dream with its myriad customization options.

Seeing a need to change directions with the franchise, EA actually went back to the Hot Pursuit days and created the very well-received Need for Speed Most Wanted. While Most Wanted attracted new users with the po-po chases, the hardcore Underground guys seemed a bit left out in the cold. Need for Speed Carbon was EA’s prescribed remedy. Although a decent game, Carbon came off a bit too trendy and “tweener” for those wanting to relive the Underground experience.

The logical, next step for Electronic Arts’ Need for Speed series would have been Underground 3 or a reasonable facsimile of what a hardcore, next-gen street racer should be. For all intents and purposes, EA has created Need for Speed Underground 3—a.k.a., a hardcore tuner title. It just (thankfully) decided to name it Need for Speed ProStreet, and thankfully made racing in the daytime a reality.

Good luck playing catch-up.

The first thing that jumps out and bites you like a supercharged Viper is the art direction and graphical prowess of Need for Speed ProStreet. Many of you may already know about the look that EA was going for from its magazine, online and TV advertising, but seeing it in game motion adds the exclamation point. Basically, Need for Speed ProStreet is what a next-gen, grassroots-style street racing game should look like: borderline over-the-top, but with a keen sense of how function needs to follow form at times.

It’s also evident after a few laps with Need for Speed ProStreet that the development team is well aware of the toll that street racing takes on a sled; something that was glaringly absent from the Underground games. The shiny side rarely stays up in Need for Speed ProStreet, and EA built the technology that makes vehicle damage look better than nearly any other racer out there (even its own Burnout titles). Not only will cars erupt into pieces, but more subtle blemishes, such as paint scrapes, tears in metal and holes punched through fiberglass body kits show up with regularity and look ultra-realistic. Better yet, these flesh wounds show up hastily repaired with duct tape, zip-ties or gelled over with spackle as one would expect to see on a street ride ridden hard and put away wet. You’ll also see cars much more derivative of the street than an “underground” or a HIN event. Mismatched wheels, junkyard parts from different-colored cars and jury-rigged exhaust pipes set Need for Speed ProStreet apart from the competition. Damage affects performance, too (and will have to be repaired by the user), which further enhances the harder-core street aspects of Need for Speed ProStreet, and which also helps to transform this franchise from a more show-oriented trailer queen to a go-oriented thoroughbred.

Even though Need for Speed ProStreet caters more to the serious street car enthusiast, and is therefore a bit grittier visually, the show-car fans can still enjoy what EA has done here. The Autosculpt feature is back and can be used to custom-tailor a ride to show-car levels of pretty. Bodywork changes actually impact the performance of the car (similar to Forza), which makes visual modding a bit more worthwhile for the hardcore guy. Of course, crazy paint jobs, vinyls and decals are available in abundance for those simply looking for aesthetic flair.

There’s a little something for every level of video-game racing fan in the customization section of Need for Speed ProStreet. If you really aren’t into the whole modding thing, but still want to compete, there are Quick Upgrade Packages designed just for you. Those that want to dig deep surely can, and it now pays off more, since the aforementioned visual mods have a certain impact on the racing (visualized with a slick wind tunnel animation, which enables real-time Autosculpt updates). A single car can be set up for drift, drag or grip as well, and particular setups can be blueprinted and shared online if the user so desires. This means tuning installed parts is now a part of this storied franchise, too. You can even do the whole dyno thing as well (essentially car math) in Need for Speed ProStreet, and pick from one of the best catalogs of real aftermarket parts ever put together for a racing game.